Wheel-rim.



'110. 891,172. PATENTBD JUNE 16, 19m; E. HOPKINSON & T. MIDGLEY. WHEEL MM APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1906.

5mm/www5 Y gli@ .T ERICE.. l

,.RRSEY. AND THOMAS MIDGLEY, oF HART- WORKS TE TATES PA ERNEST. ROPKTNSON, or EAST ORANGE, NEW

FORD, CONNECTICUT,SA1D HOPKINSON ASSicNOR TO'THE HARTFORD RUBBER COMPANY, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT,

A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

WHEEL-RIM.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Application sied Jury 5, 1906. Serin No. 324,762.

Patented June 16;, loos.:-

To alt' whom it 'may Centern:

Beit known that We, ERNEST HOPKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in East-Orange, Essex county, N ew Jersey, and

. in the shortest position upon t rim Without danger of accidental displacement.-

Other objects O'f the invention Will appear as the structure ot' the improved Wheel rim is hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of ,the specification, and tion will be clearly d claims..

Described in general terms, lthe. invention consists of a Wheel rimA provided with side flanges one or both Of which are removable, 'i the removable flange or flanges tieingreontractible and expansiblo and being provided' with means for effecting the contraction and expansion, Which means consists of a short Arod which is oppositely threaded adjacent to etined in the appended its ends for engagement with corresponding 40 Worm pinionand adapted to impart rotative threads in the ends of the side ange o1" the ,wheel rim, a Worm pinion fast upon the rodbetvveen the threaded portions, and a Worm.

suitably supported'for engagement with the movement thereto. i

In the drawings: Figure l is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a vehicle wheel provided With the improved wheel rim and having a tire mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a detail view in elevation ot' the ends of the side flange the scope Ot' the inven.-I

' portions d therewith. This Worinpniion 7 meshes and of the device for contracting and panding the side flange, the side flange being.

shown in position uponthe main rim mein'- ber, which is shown in section. (F ig. 3 isfa transverse sectional view' throughY thefimlproved Wheel rim, the Wheel felly,,fand, a pneumatic tire mounted on the ivheelf-rr1nif, the section being taken in a plane ypassing through the devic panding the'sid'e flanges. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views illustrating the construction of the device for expanding and contracting the Side ilang'e. Referring' to the dravings by the reference characters marked thereon, l" designatesa Wheelv felly Of-Ordinary construction, T des-` ignates the tirel and 1 designates the main member ofthe Wheelgrim. Thisfmainilri'm memberis provided with lateral channels? which zt'PfOrdseats for the removable Side flanges 3, Veach of which is preferablvpre'- vided with an Overhanging portionlladapted to engage one Ot' the beads of a clencher pneumatic tire, andthe flanges and 'inain'rim member-are so designed that the overhangi'ng seating suriaceoi the main rim member to an rextent ,suflicient to cooperate in 4forming a suitable seat toi the base of thetire and to allow suflicient space beneath the base of the tire forthe devices employed to effect the contraction and expansion ofthe side flanges'.

Each device Yfor contracting and expanding a side flange consists of a short straight rod '5 threaded. adjacent to eachen'dr, the'threads adj acent to one end heilig the reverse Oft-hose adjacent to the-Other, so that the rotation OI" the rod 5 in one direction .will tendjitnftlrmv the ends el theside ilange togetherrt contractinginand rotation in tha .op direction will force the ends o'f the side nge -a art, thereby expanding it. yBetvreeanpzthe t readed portions 5 ot the rod 5. ajwormrpini-r ion 7 is provided whicl'i .is rigidly associated with the rod :and may '.betfcrmeifl 'ini' es for contracting andv eitreturn in bearings afforded by the two hanger" ,panded by lintroducing a wrenc a worm S which is preferably supported in a l member, but is rhanger or stirrup i This hanger or stirrup is preferably composed of two similar members l() which are seat the sides of'tli curely fastened together by means ofrivets i i 11 and is so secured on `the rod 5 that the lat- 1 Q carried by the rod is provided wit members and has anolygonal socket 12, shown in this instance as'square, for the reception of a suitably shaped shank or tang on a socket wrench. The stirrup or hanger vt) extends through. a slot or apertue formedin the bottom of one of the channels 2 at the `sides of the main rim member so as to leave the socket 12 of the worm' unobstructed and to `permit of the ready introduction of the wrench vemployed in turning the Worm.

The mode of applying or. removing atire from the improved wheel rim. will be readily understood by any one skilled in the art." Assuming that the tire is'` in position on 'the rim as shown in Figs. 1. tol 3, in order to remove the tire one of the side flan es 3 is exinto the socket 12 and turning it toward thev right. When the side flange has been expanded sufficiently it is disengaged from the channel 2 at a point opposite the expanding and-contracting device, which then permits the tsiryrup of the expanding and contracting device to be disengaged from the aperture in which it is e aged in the channel of the y)theel rim. The'si e flange bein removed, 'the tire can' be slipped off the w eel without difficulty.

Then the tire is' replaced in position the side i,

flange is secured by reversin the operations enumerated. The stirrup o the expanding and contracting .device 1s brought Into en ga ement with the slot therefor 1n the channe of the wheel rim and the side flange,

. Which is'sufhciently expanded for the purrim member. It will also be observed that,

pose,

is then slipped into position in the channel and contracted by turning the worm 8 towardv the left by means of the wrench.

It will be observed that' the operation of' .removi or'applying one of the side flanges to the w eelrim can be performed very expeditiously, as. a few turns of the worm en- Gagi the worm pinion on the threaded rod issu `cient to expand or contract the side flange to the extent necessary to effect this reniiovalorl to secure firmly in the seat afforded therefor by the channel on the main the expandin Aand contracting device for each side flange is so located that it does not interfere in any -.way with the seating of the tirev on the wheehrim and does not project .laterally beyond the marginsuof the marn riml l channel in whi' entirely protected by the e side flange 1s seated rblng or other objects from contact s The particular i .j anjtzlge ali'orded by the improved construction dverxvheel rims with contractive and expansive. sidi` [langes as hitherto,constructed is fbund in thcready access to the expanding and lcenrtlracting device afforded by the improved 'jcdnstruction and in the fact that the operajtlipn of the expanding and contracting device jis c ntinuous after the introduction of the ,wrench andv d oes not require the removal andreintrdduction of the wrench after every partialturn of 90 to 120, as in the expanding and contracting devices hitherto employed in 'connection with the sidev flanges of wheel rims of the kind to which this invention relates.

Having thus described our invention, what wefclaiin as new and' desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j 4 1. In a Wheel rim, the combination with a `main riml member, of'a removable side flange,

means for contracting and expanding said side flange, said means comprising a member threaded adjacent to each end, the threads at one end' being opposite in direction to those at the other end and adapted to engage threaded sockets in the ends of the side flange, a worm pinion fixed on said member, and a worm in mesh with said Worm pinion.

2, In a wheel rim, the combination with a main rim member and a lremol able side ange, of means for contracting and lexpanding said side flange, said means c'omprisincr a short rod threaded adjacent to itsends nd engaging threaded sockets in the ends ofthe` of said rod being opposite 'in di lejtib-nto those adjacent to the other end, a orldglljpinion rigidly associated with said r beth from said rod, and/,inwrnsh with wori pinion. j il',

3. ln a wheel rim, the combination with a main rim member and a `removable side flange, `of means for expan ing|` and contract- .ing said side flange said' mean comprising a short rod threadedzadjacentjt its ends and enga ing t readed sockets at'the ends of the side ange, the threads atene end of the rod being opposite in direction' to those atthe B611 the threaded portions, and a wormy suspended other end, a Worm pin/ion rigidly associated with each rod between the threaded portions, a stirru vor hanger vloosely suspended from said ro so that the rod may turn therein, and aworm journaled in said stirrup or hanger and meshing with the Worm pinion on said rod. I. A

4. In a wheel rim, the combination with a main,rim member and a removable side side flange, the threads adjacenttp lone end ,i

rianne. of means for expanding and contracting said side thing-e, sind means comprising a rod arranged hetween the ends of the side tin nge :indin threaded engagement therewith, threaded engagement being .such tha-t. rotation oi' the rod in one direction ,will expand the side iiiinge und rotation inthe other diret-tien will contract if, :i lworin pinion rigidly associated with said rod, and ziiworm in mesh with said 'worm pii1io1i,'1 1id worm being provided with apolygonail sockety for the siti-zi "reteption oi' u socket wrench.

.In testimony whereof, we have signed Our names in the presence of witnesses.

ERNESI HOPKINSON. THOMAS MIDGLEY. iitinesses Vas to thev signature of Ernest, Hopkinson:

BAXTER )'IoR'roN, GILBERT GANNoN, Witnesses :is tio th signature of ,Thomas Midgley: i

J .'D. AND1-Justin', M. C. Siroitns, 

